Belichick, coach of the New England Patriots, took a huge gamble that did not work out Sunday night, and his team wound up losing to the Indianapolis Colts.

As a result of the failed gamble, Belichick has received some torching criticism. What’s silly, of course, is that if the gamble had worked, those same critics would be hailing Belichick as a genius.

It all comes down to this: Belichick was coaching to win, and he was basing his coaching decisions on that. Some coaches base their decisions on trying not to lose. There is a big difference.

Belichick was also willing to make his decision under the white-hot glare of a nationally televised prime time game, knowing that failure would make him an easy target of second-guessers. But again, he was thinking about only one thing: winning the game.

Legendary basketball coach Pat Summit says that if you are afraid to make the tough decisions, you don’t belong in a coaching position.